Show ContentsAaten History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Aaten family

The surname Aaten was first found in the county of Berwickshire, where Ayton is a small town "which takes its name from the water of Eye, on the banks of which it is situated, is intimately connected with important transactions of early times. It was formerly dependent on the monastery of Coldingham, as appears from charters belonging to that establishment, upon the settlement of which, between the years 1098 and 1107, under the auspices of King Edgar, that monarch made them several grants, including "Eytun" and "aliam Eytun," the latter being Nether Ayton, on the opposite side of the river." 1

One of the first records of the name was William de Eytone who rendered homage to King Edward I in 1296. 2

Early History of the Aaten family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Aaten research. Another 252 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1170, 1296, 1440, 1460, 1488, 1513, 1570, 1638, 1644, 1672, 1734, 1764, 1777, 1801, 1813, 1826, 1837, 1851 and 1887 are included under the topic Early Aaten History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Aaten Spelling Variations

Although the name, Aaten, appeared in many references, from time to time, the surname was shown with the spellings Aiton, Ayton, Aytoun and others.

Early Notables of the Aaten family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was Sir Robert Ayton or Aytoun (1570-1638), English poet, who was also a private secretary to the queens of James I and Charles I. He "was a descendant of the Norman house of De Vescy, lords of Sprouston in Northumberland. Gilbert de Vescy, a younger son of the family, settled in Scotland in the reign of King Robert Bruce, having received from him the lands of Aytoun in Berwickshire. Thereupon he changed his name to that of his estate. " 3"In Berwickshire the Aytouns continued as landowners until James III (1460-1488), when...
Another 108 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Aaten Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Aaten migration to the United States +

Gradually becoming disenchanted with life in Ireland many of these uprooted families sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. These overcrowded ships often arrived with only 60 to 70% of their original passenger list, many dying of cholera, typhoid, dysentery or small pox. In North America, some of the first immigrants who could be considered kinsmen of the Aaten family name Aaten, or who bore a variation of the surname were

Aaten Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Adriaen Hend Aaten, who landed in New York in 1651 4
  • Hendrick Aaten, who arrived in Long Island in 1687 4
  • Thomas Aaten, who landed in Long Island in 1687 4


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  3. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  4. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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